BEMA Episode Link: 222: The Chosen S1E3 — “Jesus Loves the Little Children”
Episode Length: 36:27
Published Date: Thu, 03 Jun 2021 01:00:00 -0700
Session 6
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings continue a review of The Chosen with a discussion on the third episode.

(No) Discussion Video for BEMA 222

The Chosen

The Chosen (TV Series) — Wikipedia

The Chosen (2017 TV Series) — IMDb

Transcript for BEMA 222

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 222: The Chosen S1E3 - “Jesus Loves the Little Children”

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 222: The Chosen S1E3 - “Jesus Loves the Little Children” Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: Review and theological reflection on The Chosen Season 1, Episode 3

This episode provides an in-depth analysis of the third episode of The Chosen television series, which portrays Jesus’s interactions with children during a period before his public ministry begins. The hosts explore themes of childlike faith, the humanity of Jesus, and the tension between honoring tradition while pursuing wisdom. Through creative backstory not directly found in the gospels, the episode illustrates Jesus forming relationships with children who demonstrate the kind of faith and understanding he will later seek in his adult disciples.

Key Takeaways

  • The episode powerfully depicts the full humanity of Jesus through everyday details like building fires, washing feet, bandaging wounds, and experiencing physical discomfort
  • Childlike faith is characterized by boldness, curiosity, willingness to ask questions, and lack of pretense or religious posturing
  • Jesus demonstrates respect for teachers and tradition while simultaneously calling people to wisdom that may transcend conventional understanding
  • The scene where Jesus hears children reciting the Shema represents God hearing his own words spoken back to him by his people
  • Jesus names Joshua “the brave” at the moment he first shows courage, calling forth identity rather than waiting for it to fully manifest
  • Jesus expresses concern that his future adult disciples will not have the same understanding as these children, highlighting how adult “knowledge” can obstruct genuine faith
  • The tension between honoring religious leaders and recognizing when “smart men lack wisdom” reflects an ongoing challenge in discipleship
  • Everyone has a larger purpose beyond their trade or vocation, pointing to identity in God’s mission

Main Concepts & Theories

The Humanity of Jesus

The episode emphasizes Jesus’s complete participation in human experience through numerous practical details. Jesus is shown struggling to build a fire in humid conditions, sweating from the effort, washing his feet after a long day, bandaging a wound on his arm, and waking up disoriented when children surprise him. These moments serve theological purpose by affirming the incarnation - God truly became human and experienced all aspects of human life, including its mundane difficulties and physical limitations.

This portrayal challenges common assumptions about Jesus’s earthly experience. The hosts discuss theological debates about whether Jesus could have hit his thumb with a hammer or experienced physical accidents. The show takes a clear position that Jesus experienced full humanity, including vulnerability to injury, discomfort, and the daily tedium of survival tasks. This isn’t portrayed as weakness but as the profound reality of God entering into complete solidarity with human existence.

Childlike Faith

The episode explores what characterizes childlike faith through Abigail and the other children’s interactions with Jesus. Key elements include:

Boldness: Abigail asks direct, even impolite questions without fear or self-consciousness. She inquires about Jesus’s finances and livelihood, questions adults would consider inappropriate. This boldness contrasts with the careful, proper religious behavior that often develops in adulthood.

Curiosity: The children constantly ask questions, wanting to understand and engage. They don’t pretend to know what they don’t know. Their curiosity is genuine rather than performative.

Lack of Pretense: The children respond authentically to Jesus without trying to impress him or manage their image. They argue among themselves about who he is, freely admitting their uncertainty.

Receptiveness: When Jesus teaches them prayers, scripture, and stories, they absorb and remember. Abigail quotes scripture despite not attending advanced Torah classes, showing genuine engagement with what she’s learned.

Lack of Preconceptions: The children haven’t accumulated layers of theological assumptions that might prevent them from hearing Jesus clearly. Their understanding is simple but profound.

The hosts note that this childlike quality gets “beat out of us” as we mature in religious contexts. Adults develop more “prim and proper” faith that can actually obstruct the kind of engagement Jesus values.

Respect for Tradition vs. Pursuit of Wisdom

A central tension in the episode occurs when children mention Rabbi Josiah’s teaching about the Messiah. Jesus’s response creates important balance:

First, Jesus unequivocally affirms the importance of honoring teachers, elders, and leaders. There’s no chip on his shoulder, no rebellious dismissal of authority. He models genuine respect for established religious leadership.

However, Jesus then states: “Rabbi Josiah is a smart man. At many times, smart men lack wisdom.”

This creates productive tension. Jesus isn’t raising a rogue movement to disrespect leaders, nor is he suggesting blind acceptance of all teaching. Instead, he holds both realities: honor your teachers AND recognize that intelligence doesn’t guarantee wisdom, that traditional interpretations might be incomplete or mistaken.

The hosts reflect on how this tension plays out in their own ministry. The challenge is to honor tradition and leaders while remaining open to new understanding - to avoid both dismissive rebellion and uncritical acceptance.

Jesus’s Training Ground

The hosts note that Jesus’s time with these children functions as an informal havurah (learning community) and perhaps as his own “training ground” for ministry. Before gathering adult disciples, Jesus practices teaching, storytelling, answering questions, and forming community with children.

This challenges heroic narratives where Jesus emerges fully formed to conduct his ministry. Instead, the episode portrays Jesus learning and developing his teaching approach through these interactions. One host reflects on being forced to work in children’s ministry early in his career and finding it unexpectedly formative - even Jesus benefits from starting with children before moving to adults.

Naming and Identity

When Joshua asks his first question after remaining silent and uncomfortable, Jesus immediately names him “Joshua the brave.” This occurs at the moment Joshua first demonstrates courage, not after he has fully become brave.

This illustrates Jesus’s pattern of calling forth identity rather than simply acknowledging existing qualities. Jesus names who people are becoming, who they truly are beneath their current limitations. By calling Joshua brave at his first small act of courage, Jesus invites him into that identity.

Throughout the rest of the episode, Joshua does become braver, suggesting that being named and called into an identity helps manifest that identity.

The Limitations of Adult Discipleship

Near the end of his time with the children, Jesus becomes emotional as he contemplates his future ministry. He says about his coming disciples: “I hope that they will ask the questions that you do and listen to me like you have done, but I suspect they won’t have the understanding that you do.”

This poignant statement suggests Jesus’s awareness that adult disciples will struggle in ways children don’t. The “understanding” Jesus values isn’t sophisticated theological knowledge but rather the simple, direct, receptive engagement the children demonstrate. Adults will bring assumptions, agendas, religious preconceptions, and ego that will obstruct their ability to truly hear and understand.

The irony is sharp: those with more religious education and scriptural knowledge will actually understand less than these children who simply listen, ask questions, and respond with open hearts.

Blessings and Prayer

The episode incorporates traditional Jewish blessings naturally into Jesus’s daily life. When going to sleep, Jesus recites: “Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe, who brings sleep to my eyes.”

This reflects the Jewish practice of having blessings for every aspect of life - waking, sleeping, eating, using the restroom, etc. By showing Jesus naturally incorporating these prayers, the episode portrays his lived Jewish faith and demonstrates how spirituality permeates all of ordinary life rather than being compartmentalized.

The hosts note these blessings were common in Jesus’s time and remain part of Jewish practice today, connecting contemporary Jewish worship with ancient patterns.

Vocation and Calling

Jesus states: “Everyone has a much larger job than just their trade.”

The hosts have mixed feelings about this statement. On one hand, it could reinforce an unhelpful sacred/secular divide where people’s “real” spiritual calling is separate from their daily work. This is precisely what their ministry (Impact Campus Ministries) works against by teaching “the sanctity of vocation.”

On the other hand, the statement can be heard as affirming that everyone participates in God’s larger purposes beyond just their economic activity. Our identity isn’t reducible to our profession, and we’re all part of God’s mission in the world.

The tension reflects an ongoing challenge in Christian theology: how to honor the intrinsic value and spiritual significance of ordinary work while also recognizing transcendent purposes that exceed any particular task.

Examples & Applications

Contemporary Faith Communities

The episode challenges churches and faith communities to examine whether they’ve created environments where genuine questions are welcomed or where people learn to perform “proper” religious behavior. Like the children with Jesus, healthy communities should encourage:

  • Bold, even uncomfortable questions
  • Admission of doubt and uncertainty
  • Simple, direct engagement without pretense
  • Curiosity over performance of knowledge
Leadership and Teaching

The balance Jesus models between respecting teachers and recognizing when they “lack wisdom” provides guidance for navigating religious authority. This applies to:

  • How we engage with church leadership when we disagree
  • How we teach our children to think critically while maintaining respect
  • How leaders themselves should hold their positions humbly, recognizing they might be “smart but lacking wisdom”
  • How communities can honor tradition while remaining open to new understanding
Calling Forth Identity

Jesus’s practice of naming Joshua “the brave” at his first small act of courage models a pastoral and parental approach. Rather than waiting for people to fully manifest desired qualities before acknowledging them, we can name and call forth:

  • The student who struggles: “You are a learner”
  • The fearful person taking a small risk: “You are brave”
  • The self-centered person showing first signs of care: “You are generous”

This doesn’t mean false flattery but rather recognizing the true identity emerging beneath current limitations.

Integrating Faith and Daily Life

Jesus’s incorporation of blessings into sleeping, eating, and daily activities models spirituality integrated with ordinary life. Contemporary applications include:

  • Developing practices of gratitude and awareness throughout the day
  • Recognizing sacred dimensions of mundane tasks
  • Moving beyond compartmentalized “spiritual time” toward holistic spirituality
  • Creating rituals and prayers for daily transitions
Children in Ministry

The episode suggests taking children’s spiritual capacity seriously. Rather than seeing children’s ministry as merely babysitting or simple lessons until they’re old enough for “real” theology, communities might:

  • Recognize children’s capacity for profound spiritual understanding
  • Learn from children’s directness and authenticity
  • Create opportunities for children to teach adults
  • Question whether adult religious education actually improves or complicates faith

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Historical Questions
  • What was the actual educational system in first-century Galilee, particularly regarding girls’ access to Torah education?
  • How common was literacy among poor families in Jesus’s context?
  • What evidence exists for children’s participation in religious education and synagogue life?
  • How did informal teaching relationships (like the one depicted) function alongside formal rabbinic structures?
Theological Questions
  • How does the incarnation require us to imagine Jesus’s human development and learning?
  • What does “tempted in every way as we are” mean regarding Jesus’s human experience?
  • How do we balance divine foreknowledge with genuine human experience in Jesus’s life?
  • What is the relationship between childlike faith and mature theological understanding?
  • How should communities navigate the tension between respecting authority and pursuing wisdom?
Practical Ministry Questions
  • How can contemporary churches create environments where people feel safe to ask bold questions?
  • What practices help adults recover childlike dimensions of faith without becoming intellectually irresponsible?
  • How do we teach discernment between respecting leaders and recognizing when they err?
  • What does it mean practically to call forth identity in others?
  • How can we integrate prayer and blessing into ordinary daily activities?
Literary and Cultural Studies
  • How does The Chosen’s use of creative backstory function theologically and narratively?
  • What are the benefits and risks of imagined biblical narrative?
  • How do contemporary portrayals of Jesus reflect and shape Christian theology?
  • What role does Jewish cultural consultation play in creating authentic period representation?
Personal Reflection
  • What questions have I stopped asking because they seem inappropriate or challenging?
  • How has my “understanding” actually obscured simple truths?
  • Who are the “smart people lacking wisdom” in my life, and how do I navigate that?
  • What would it mean to recover boldness and curiosity in my faith?
  • How do I balance honoring my teachers with pursuing truth?

Comprehension Questions

  1. How does the episode portray Jesus’s humanity, and why is this theologically significant for understanding the incarnation? Provide specific examples from the episode.

  2. What are the key characteristics of “childlike faith” as demonstrated by Abigail and the other children, and how do these contrast with typical adult religious behavior?

  3. Explain the tension Jesus creates when he tells the children to honor Rabbi Josiah while also stating that “smart men lack wisdom.” How might this tension apply to contemporary religious communities?

  4. What is the significance of Jesus naming Joshua “the brave” at the moment he first shows courage rather than waiting until he has fully demonstrated bravery? What does this suggest about how Jesus relates to people’s identity?

  5. Why does Jesus suggest his future adult disciples will not have the same “understanding” as these children, and what does this reveal about the relationship between religious knowledge and genuine faith?

Summary

BEMA Episode 222 offers a rich theological reflection on The Chosen’s creative portrayal of Jesus interacting with children before his public ministry. The episode powerfully emphasizes Jesus’s complete humanity through everyday details often overlooked in traditional portrayals - his physical struggles, daily routines, and emotional wrestling with his calling. Through the children, particularly the bold and curious Abigail, the episode illustrates what childlike faith looks like: direct questions without pretense, genuine curiosity, receptiveness to teaching, and lack of accumulated religious assumptions.

The hosts identify a crucial tension in Jesus’s teaching about honoring religious leaders while recognizing that intelligence doesn’t guarantee wisdom. This balance - respecting authority while pursuing truth - remains challenging for contemporary disciples. Jesus’s practice of calling forth identity by naming Joshua “the brave” at his first small act of courage models a pastoral approach that sees and invites people into who they’re becoming rather than merely acknowledging who they’ve been.

Perhaps most poignantly, Jesus anticipates that his adult disciples will lack the understanding these children possess. Their religious knowledge and preconceptions will obstruct the simple, direct engagement Jesus values. This challenges contemporary assumptions that equate spiritual maturity with accumulated theological knowledge, suggesting instead that the faith of children - bold, curious, receptive, and free from pretense - represents an ideal that adults should aspire to recover rather than transcend.

The episode invites viewers to examine what they’ve lost in becoming “proper” religious adults and to consider how genuine questions, authentic engagement, and childlike boldness might deepen rather than threaten mature faith.

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